School kids asking for advice on strangulation during sex, charity warns

Schoolchildren are asking teachers how to strangle a partner during sex safely, a charity says, while official figures show an alarming rise in the crime related to domestic abuse cases.

Warning: This article contains references to strangulation, domestic abuse and distressing images. It comes as a woman whose former partner almost strangled her to death in a rage has advised anyone in an abusive relationship to seek help.

Bernie Ryan, chief executive of the Institute for Addressing Strangulation, has been running the charity since its inception in 2022 after non-fatal strangulation became a standalone offence. "It's the ultimate form of control," she says.

She says perpetrators and victims are getting younger, while the reason is unclear, but strangulation has seeped into popular culture and social media. "We hear lots of sex education providers, teachers saying that they're hearing it in schools.

"We know teachers have been asked, 'how do I teach somebody to strangle safely?' "Our message is there is no safe way to strangle - the anatomy is the anatomy. Reduction in oxygen to the brain or blood flow will result in the same medical consequences, regardless of context." A recent review by Conservative peer Baroness Gabby Bertin recommended banning "degrading, violent and misogynistic content" online.

Violent pornography showing women being choked during sex she found was "rife on mainstream platforms". Ms Ryan says she "wants to make sure that young people don't have access to activities that demonstrate that this is normal behaviour".

Read more from Sky News:Suspect accused of Derby bank murder appears in courtMan whose body was found in suitcase 'had raped teenager' Strangulation is a violent act that is often committed in abusive relationships. It is the second most common method used by men to kill women, the first is stabbing.

According to statistics shared by the Crown Prosecution Service, in 2024 there was an almost 50% rise in incidents of non-fatal strangulation and suffocation - compared to the year before. Domestic abuse victim Kerry Allan has a message for anyone who is in an abusive relationship.

Kerry met Michael Cosgrove in September 2022. While she said "at the beginning it was really good.